[MENTION=11975]Always Bangel[/MENTION]
Plus, it just didn't really"¦mesh for me. I mean, watching this fairly soon after "Prophecy Girl", I thought it was made fairly clear that Buffy came back stronger after she died. I suppose something like that takes time to sink in and all, but I kind of felt like the theme of this episode could have worked better as a two-part story with "Prophecy Girl".
Like I said for Prophecy Girl, I think that both episodes actually work better if taken as a two-parter -- since they aren't technically, it hurts both, but they actually work pretty well if watched back-to-back with each other. Because of that, I actually like seeing Buffy acting like that, since it seems like she's finally facing what's happened to her -- and because people will say this, I don't think that she should've gotten over it over the summer -- she was back in LA with her dad, avoiding the slaying and her friends entirely, she would've just been pretending that it never happened and ignoring it entirely. It makes sense that she doesn't really face it until she comes back and is forced to deal with the fact that it all really happened.
And of course, this is another episode where all tactical ability and thought is completely abandoned by Buffy. At least they incorporated into the theme of the episode. I liked Xander finally putting her in her place after she was so careless.
I really like that he threatens Buffy -- even though you know he can't really hurt her, the fact that he does shows how serious he thinks the situation is, along with the fact that Willow is still his oldest friend.
But it certainly wasn't all bad. Snyder, as he always does, stole it. I think he must be the most fun character ever to write.
Snyder isn't my favorite character since he's so one-dimensional, but his dialogue is always very fun to listen to, so I imagine that it was fun to write.
I thought the romantic elements, despite Buffy, were showed subtly, but effectively. The Xander/Willow scene at the start was really nice, but sad in The Bronze later on. Buffy and Angel's scenes showed the potential they have, but that they didn't click yet (and as an aside, I thought David Boreanaz's acting has already improved leaps and bounds over S1). Giles/Jenny with Snyder in the background was nice too.
David's acting feels a little uneven between now and Surprise -- sometimes he's really good, sometimes he's not -- but that probably comes down to the writing more than anything else, now that I think of it.
And I really liked the scoring. It really stood out for me, particularly the scene where Angel is leaving Buffy's room and it crosses into the next shot of Buffy in the car. The ending music was well placed as well.
I'm weird and don't tend to notice the score unless it's particularly prominent, usually meaning really good or really bad.
[MENTION=12297]SlayerPrincess[/MENTION]
If he would have just persued Willow after the almost kiss the whole Lovers Walk situation wouldent have happened.
But the way it ended up going was actually a lot more interesting, without feeling like they forced it for the sake of drama, so I like that they did what they did here.
[MENTION=2271]SMG14Fan[/MENTION]
I didn't like Buffy's attitude at all. Sure, she died for a minute, but she had the whole summer to get over it. She had nothing to accomplish by acting that way.
Already mentioned this, but I don't think she really would've gotten over it over the summer. See what I said above to get why.
One of my favorite things about the episode is Cibo Matto playing at the Bronze.
I did not like them at all -- the songs were just... bizarre, and not in a way that I liked.
[MENTION=10438]JCoatsworth[/MENTION]
The scene, where Jenny and Willow are outside in front of the school and the vampires are closing in, reminds me of these old zombie flicks, like Dawn of the Dead, because of the way they're walking slowly towards them and everything.
I agree -- when I started this rewatch, I thought that they were zombies (they were shown in a dream in the first episode), not remembering this scene at all.
Oh, and Angel can't perform CPR because he has no breath? Luckily, they changed stuff like that in the other seasons. I mean, if his lungs don't work, how can he even speak?
What bugs me more is how often he's panting or has his breath visible -- the talking is something they just kind of need for the show to work, so I'll suspend my disbelief.
[MENTION=11631]Evil Angelus 95[/MENTION]
And so, as Season 1 draws to a close, we move on to my favorite season. Season 2
Mild disagreement -- Season 2 is second, while Season 3 is the best. And I'm glad we're at the end of the worst season and are at the point where I'm actually looking forward to watching episodes.
[MENTION=12171]Ethan Reigns[/MENTION]
This is one of the best episodes of Season 1 and of the entire series and showcases Sarah's acting chops well. It is also an essential episode rather than a filler and nothing in it is cringeworthy. It has everything you would want in a good story.
Essential? Yes. One of the best in Season 1? Yes. One of the best in the series? Not really -- just far too many pacing issues.
One thing remained from season 1 - the bad lighting. At the factory where she finally fought off the bad guys and destroyed the master, the lighting from underneath managed to accomplish something I thought would be impossible - it managed to make Willow's face look fat!
Yeah, the lighting hasn't really improved, but that will cease to be as issue soon enough. I actually think that's the biggest contribution to how the show started to look better after Season 1 (when we get to Season 3, I'll talk about the switch from 16mm to 35mm film).
Great episode and definitely on my favourite rewatch list. (The only Buffy episodes I hate are "Ted" and "Normal Again".)
I kind of like Ted (because of John Ritter -- that's pretty much the only reason), and I like Normal Again -- there are definitely some episodes that I don't like, and I'll make sure to mention them, such as one I know I'll mention after I get through everyone's posts.
[MENTION=12236]itssmiletime[/MENTION]
Also the episode showed a gradual stripping of cheese on the show- with the exception of the stupid ending with the Anointed One. And some lines just are odd - ''we haven't seen a vampire for months'', etc.
It's starting to get more serious, but it's a slow process. If you just look at the storyline episodes, it's pretty much gone, though the filler episodes are still bad when it comes to the cheese.
So, after responding to all of that... Well, I've said most of what I have to say about When She Was Bad -- I'll stand by my previous assertion that it works well as a two-parter with Prophecy Girl and finally has some emotional payoff to the fact that Buffy died. They build off each other really well. I think I like this episode more than Prophecy Girl. Though, my main thought is that we're in Season 2, where things get better...
Except not all the time. Some Assembly Required? Wow, I watched this episode a couple days ago, and I barely remember anything from it. It's not exactly incompetently made, it just has nothing that really sticks in your mind, that you remember once it's over. Even after listening to six podcasts about the episode, nothing sticks. That's a sign of something that just fails, and the number of episodes like this are the reason why Season 2 is not the best (or my favorite) season in the series.
